Pros and Cons of Webbing, Vests and Chest Rigs.

Posted by
Guest post by Kelvin Dixon
on May 17, 2017

Over the last twenty
years I’ve served in two Armies, as a PMC and in a Guerrilla group,
working in jungle, urban and desert environments as well as working
overseas on security tasks. I started out in the NZ Army in the mid
90’s using the issued ALICE webbing and pack. The metal clips on
the webbing and the rivet in the middle of the pack frame would rub
me raw on pack marches. I quickly learned how important it was to set
up my equipment properly. Ever since then I have been interested in
maximising effectiveness with the proper gear selection. The job is
tough enough without having to fight your kit and the way individual
components interact with each other.

Looking at Lofty Wisemans vital pyramid we see that kit is at the top of the pyramid
as it’s the least important part of the equation, while this is
true you aren’t going to last long in the Arctic wearing Jungle
kit. Choosing the right gear for the job can make life a lot easier.
This article will look at the pros and cons of different styles of
web gear and in which situations each works best. Body armour serves
a different primary purpose and as most people have no say in what
they are issued it is not covered here.

Belt Webbing

Webbing consists of
pouches mounted on a belt with a yoke for support. It is the most
common way to carry equipment. Ideally the weight is spread between
the shoulders and the hips. Pouches should not come any further
forward than the hips so they don’t get in the way in the prone
position.

Pros;

-Good capacity.

-Gets weight off
the shoulders and onto the hips.

-Work well with
pack or Bergan (rest the bottom of the pack on top of the back
pouches).

-When properly set
up easy to go prone.

-Easiest to reload
from prone.

-Can be worn under
or over armour depending on yoke system.

- Best for general
infantry tasks.

Cons;

-Makes the hips
bulky.

-Can be awkward to
use in vehicles or tight spaces.

Chest Rigs

Chest rigs come in two
main styles one piece and split front. The modern original is the
Chicom type consisting of a basic load of magazines and grenades
these were also used by the Rhodesians and South Africans who further
developed the concept during their bush wars. They have evolved into
more substantial rigs with larger capacity capable of carrying water
bottles, magazines and radios. Split front rigs can open in the
centre for easy donning/ doffing. Generally speaking they should be
worn higher rather than lower but it will boil down to personal
preference.

Assault vests were
originally issued by the British and Americans as a webbing
alternative in WW2; they were later refined by the Rhodesians and
South Africans during their bush wars before becoming more common
with other nations.

Pros;

-Good for use in
vehicles.

-Good for OBUA.

-Large carry
capacity.

-Comfortable with
weight, they spread the load over your body.

-Some designs can
be used with belts allowing addition of more pouches with the vest
acting like a webbing yoke.

Cons;

-Designs with
“busy” shoulders are difficult to use with packs or over armour.

-Vests with
pouches on back can get in the way of packs or Bergans.

-Easy to overload.

-Can result in
heat build up.

Special
Circumstances;

The following kit works
best in certain circumstances. This is just an introduction, battle
belts and drop legs deserve their own articles.

Drop leg holsters
and pouches were developed in the 70s when bulky armour would
impede drawing from the belt line, the key is to keep the rig as high
as is reasonable and don’t overload it also helps to keep the area
immediately above the holster free of bulky pouches, so there’s
nothing to obstruct the draw.

Cons; can make running difficult,
adds bulk, difficult to access when driving.

Battle belt

Similar to webbing,
narrower simpler belt designed for a holster and a few pouches. Don’t
confuse this with webbing it serves a very different job.

Pros; great supplement to armour,
gets some of the weight off shoulders on to hips, work well with
vests and chest rigs, work well with drop legs, stays on you when
body armour is removed.

Cons; limited capacity, can droop
if poorly designed or overloaded, easy to overload.

Grab bags

A small shoulder bag that keeps non essential items handy.

-Pros; convenient way to carry extra gear, can be
quickly passed off to other team members, gets weight off of your body.

-Cons; unstable, flop around when running, get in
the way at times, may not have it when you need it.

Kit in different
environments;

Jungle- Webbing is best, vests and chest rigs can be more
comfortable but are hot and they trap sweat next to your body which can lead to
prickly heat. Split front chest rigs can be opened for ventilation.

Desert- I’ve only worn Body Armour in this environment, if
you’re not using BA I suggest following the same guidelines as the jungle.

OBUA- Webbing can be bulky around hips makes getting through
mouse holes and windows difficult, chest rigs or vests work well especially if
vehicle borne.

Temperate woodland- Depends on role, all systems work as
expected but webbing is best for general infantry tasks.

Golden rules;

Not all designs are equal, some work better than others.

Don’t be surprised when knock off gear falls apart.

Just because something works well when used in one role
doesn’t mean it will work in another.

Mission should dictate gear selection.

Less is more, not all pouches or PALS have to be full.

Once your kit is organised, take it up a few hills, you will
quickly figure out if any adjustments need to be made.

Don’t fall into the trap of chasing the “perfect” set up. Changing
your kit out every ten minutes is counter-productive and ultimately futile.
Running about carrying weight sucks, the goal is to be more efficient and have
it suck less. If you want to be comfortable for a living, maybe you should
consider a job in an office.